{"id":15673,"date":"2025-05-24T19:38:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T19:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=15673"},"modified":"2025-05-24T19:38:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T19:38:04","slug":"how-to-cut-spending-without-cutting-out-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=15673","title":{"rendered":"How to Cut Spending Without Cutting Out Small Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s a challenging time for small businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A majority of small businesses \u2013 59% \u2014 cited financial uncertainty as the biggest challenge they\u2019re facing. Business owners were surveyed as part of the May 2025 Small Business Economic Report from the National Small Business Association.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s difficult for businesses to plan around <\/span>changing tariffs<\/span>, tax policies and consumer spending shifts, says Elizabeth Gore, co-founder of Hello Alice, a platform that connects small businesses with grants and resources. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere’s just so much up in the air,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Amid these pressures, consumers want to do their part. An April 2025 <\/span>SS survey<\/span> found that 84% of Americans say it\u2019s important to them to support small businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But many consumers are concerned about their own financial situations. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So how can you scale back spending while still supporting small businesses? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Build small businesses into your budget<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Try earmarking money specifically for small businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As you\u2019re <\/span>planning monthly expenses<\/span>, ask yourself what\u2019s most important to you, says Alvin Carlos, a certified financial planner and founder of District Capital Management in Washington, D.C. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Then, you can pinpoint the businesses you want to prioritize.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMaybe you say, \u2018I like going to local theaters\u2019 or \u2018I like to dine out once a week,\u2019\u201d Carlos says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Review your income and <\/span>fixed expenses<\/span> to find out how much you can comfortably spend on entertainment, dining and other categories. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Look at your recent credit card transactions and bank statements to help you learn what you typically spend and spot areas to trim. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shift your spending strategy<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Keeping your spending within budget may require you to rethink where you shop and what you buy. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Making fewer, higher-quality purchases from small businesses can save you money in the long run. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For example, frequent clothing purchases from major retailers can add up. Instead, you could invest in a few well-made pieces from a local boutique or thrift store.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Swapping your daily coffee-chain latte for a twice-a-week cup at a local cafe could be another smart choice. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThese are your friends, your neighbors, your family members that are working in these businesses,\u201d Gore says. \u201cAnd usually you’re getting better products, better services and a better experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Adjusting your habits can also help you <\/span>save money<\/span> at businesses you already frequent. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If dining at your favorite restaurant no longer fits your budget, look for ways to lower the cost rather than cut out the business completely. Getting takeout can reduce tipping costs, Carlos says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Carlos also recommends following small businesses\u2019 social media accounts to get information about loyalty programs, pop-up deals and other discounts. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Your local bakery, for example, may \u201cwant to get rid of their bread at 3 p.m., or their scones, and maybe you get 20% off,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keep convenience in mind <\/span><\/h2>\n
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Lending support doesn\u2019t always mean overhauling your shopping behavior. In some cases, all it takes is a few clicks. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many small businesses have an online presence, Gore says, making it easy to place orders and purchase gift cards. Seeing the total before you check out can help you stick to a <\/span>budget<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s also possible to shop small through major platforms you probably already use, such as Amazon, Etsy and food delivery apps like DoorDash and Instacart. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf you have a friend who’s sick, go through DoorDash and order from a local restaurant or a local cookie company and so on,\u201d Gore says. \u201cYou can still use these macro corporate accounts to impact small business if that is an easier way for you to do it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Spread the word <\/span><\/h2>\n
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There are plenty of free ways to help out small businesses, too. Making word-of-mouth referrals, sharing social media posts and tagging others in the comments can boost visibility and bring in new customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cJust taking a second and popping them on your Facebook, Instagram, your TikTok, that helps them so much to get more eyeballs,\u201d Gore says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Writing online reviews is another way to show love. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAs a small-business owner myself, I really appreciate it when someone writes me a Google review because it really helps my business,\u201d Carlos says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A little effort can make a big difference.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a challenging time for small businesses. A majority of small businesses \u2013 59% \u2014 cited financial uncertainty as the biggest challenge they\u2019re facing. Business owners were surveyed as part of the May 2025 Small Business Economic Report from the National Small Business Association. It\u2019s difficult for businesses to plan around changing tariffs, tax policies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[876,419,464,984,479],"class_list":{"0":"post-15673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-businesses","9":"tag-cut","10":"tag-cutting","11":"tag-small","12":"tag-spending"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}